Changing CC to Cece
EP 103: Funeral of the Abandoned
At the sudden scream that seemed to naturally pop out, Kaiton’s eyebrows shot up. Whether deliberately or unconsciously, Kaiton’s red tongue swept across his lips. He looked sensual enough to double her embarrassment. She gulped without realizing it and averted her gaze, flustered.
“You dislike it?”
Kaiton asked, taking Muriel’s hand that was trying to stop him and bringing it to his lips. Muriel could do nothing but turn her head at his sweet voice like honey. Kaiton lowered his head, meeting Muriel’s gaze. The lips that had lightly touched her hand fell as delicately as politeness required. But his fixed gaze was so intense that Muriel was forced to blush.
If he was deliberately seducing her like this….
“I’m not saying I dislike it… I’m just a little embarrassed….”
As Muriel murmured hesitantly, Kaiton smiled satisfactorily.
“Then you can keep being embarrassed. Don’t stop me.”
“No…!”
Kaiton swiftly threw off his top. There was no time to block him. Bringing his hand behind her head, he effortlessly removed it with one hand.
“You have no idea how pretty and alluring you look lying peacefully on my bed.”
“Ah…”
She should have closed her eyes, but his perfectly defined collarbone caught her eye. She couldn’t take her eyes off the flow of his collarbone that stretched straight to the ends of his broad shoulders. It was beautiful. So, when he brought her hand and placed it on his firm chest, she couldn’t push him away. A strange impulse arose when her fingertips touched his soft and elastic skin. Her head was buzzing, and her stomach felt restless, but she didn’t know why or how to relieve it.
“I want to touch you.”
Ah…
Muriel lamented little at Kaiton’s words.
Sure. She wanted to touch him more. She wanted to caress his soft skin that raised her desire, and bite into his straight neck. As Muriel realized the nature of the impulse she felt by Kaito’s words, her throat burned, and she swept her lips with her tongue, like he often did.
As Muriel twisted her waist and rose, Kaiton lowered his head as if about to kiss her. Their breaths intertwined, but Muriel’s focus was on her fingertips. As if possessed, her hand reached out first. His body, upon her touch, was no longer hot. It was because his body temperature had transferred to hers. The two of them were now boiling with the same heat.
Muriel explored him as if conducting an experiment. How could he be so beautiful yet exude such a wild and dangerous aura? As if she could find the answer by scanning with her fingertips, she slowly traced the outline of his body.
Muriel’s touch only stopped when a hot breath burst out from between Kaiton’s lips. It was a pitifully shaky and broken breath. When Muriel looked up, she saw his burning eyes.
She thought that since their body temperatures were the same. But that wasn’t the case. He was much hotter. Surrendering himself to her, who was shivering, he contained a heat she could not have imagined in his dark eyes. What if all this heat were to be released onto her? Sensing her own body temperature rising just through imagination, Muriel gently wrapped her hand around his neck.
“Your heart is beating really fast.”
“Because you are in front of me.”
“Did I make Kaiton like this?”
“Always.”
“That… I like that.”
As Muriel smiled softly, his chin flinched, and his Adam’s apple bobbed lightly.
“Then stop fretting now.”
Kaiton slowly leaned back, holding Muriel by the waist. Muriel’s upper body naturally bent over him. This time, it was Kaiton who got caught between the bed and Muriel. As if saying he would let Muriel try to run away as much as she wanted, but he was confident that he wouldn’t let go, Kaiton placed Muriel on top of him.
The Kaiton created by the Dream Butterfly was not purely fictional. As Muriel watched him tempt her so naturally, she briefly entertained such thoughts. She couldn’t help but think that she was bound to fall for him, knowing the dager. So, as she was about to speak, a knock on the door interrupted her.
“Mr. Crawford.”
It was an odd voice, a voice that seemed too young to belong to someone in the Ghost Estate. And calling him Crawford, at that. Now that even August knew Kaiton’s true identity, who could be calling Kaiton Crawford? Muriel, who had been lowering her lips in anticipation for him, instantly snapped back to reality.
She quickly got out of bed and straightened her clothes, while Kaiton hissed as ferociously as Fen.
“Don’t disturb.”
“I have to take you to eat. If I don’t, I’ll get scolded by Cece,”
Even Muriel felt her hair stand at the fierceness, but the voice coming from beyond the door sounded composed. As expected. If it were the black wizards, they would already be trembling in fear, but this clean voice exuded purity, though it felt annoying and impolite, there was no sign of fear.
“Who is it?”
The fire in Muriel’s eyes disappeared completely, replaced by curiosity. Kaiton sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“…Hell.”
***
“Wow. There are so many?”
Muriel was astonished as she looked at the children who filled the restaurant. Most of them were teenagers with young faces, but among them were very young children who didn’t even reach Muriel’s waist. Cece’s band of thieves, who she thought only had three members, turned out to be a large group with an enormous number of relatives.
“Cece! Muriel is awake!”
Despite Kaiton’s fierce demeanor, Chen, who boldly walked ahead without flinching, shouted towards Cece. When Kaiton saw Chen, he glared at him as if he wanted to kill him, making no secret of annoyance, but Chen didn’t bat an eye. At first, Muriel thought he was a bit tactless, but he just had great audacity.
‘I’m sorry if I’ve disturbed you, Mr. Crawford, but if you don’t come down when it’s mealtime, the carefully prepared food will go cold. Cece put so much effort into it.’
So, don’t bother me and just follow quietly. Muriel couldn’t help but be at a loss at the brat’s subtle provocation. She worried that Kaiton might lose his temper and scold the boy. However, despite his intimidating face, Kaiton only gruffly told him to shut up and didn’t pose any real threat. Muriel secretly chuckled, thinking he was being unexpectedly lenient with the child, even though Kaiton’s already uncomfortable brow frowned even more.
“This punk! How dare you refer to sister informally!!”
Cece, who had rushed over at Chen’s call, harshly smacked the back of Chen’s head.
“Ow! Why’d you hit me like that?! What am I supposed to say then?!”
“You should call her Miss Muriel! Or address her as Captain!”
“…You’re the only one I’ll call Captain, you idiot!”
“You brat! I said Muriel is the captain now!”
Cece once again forcefully smacked the back of Chen’s head. Chen, who had been rubbing his head in frustration as if she was being unfair, let out a cry of pain.
“Once a captain, always a captain! You’re my captain!”
“But now my captain is Muriel!”
“Then if she’s the captain’s captain, she should be called the grand captain!”
“No, uh, there’s really no need for that.”
Despite Muriel sighing and muttering about the unnecessary argument over her title, Cece and Chen wrestled with Muriel’s title. She could see how much affection Chen held for Cece. When Muriel mistook him for Cece’s younger brother due to his dark skin and sturdy build, Chen’s annoyed expression instantly brightened.
And as if he had a lot to say, he chattered non-stop, discussing the band of thieves and Cece. Thanks to him, she could understand how Cece had unintentionally become the leader of the thieves. All the children had lost their families to demons or were orphaned because their families had become demons and were driven out of the village. Cece naturally formed the band of thieves by taking in children in similar situations one by one.
“Hey, Cece.”
When Kaiton called out, Cece turned around with a tense expression. She thought all of the thieves would be fearless like Chen, but seeing Cece and the others, Rockford and Tucker, freezing up, it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“Don’t ever send up kids to my room again. If you do… I’ll put a curse on you.”
“Kaiton.”
Muriel called out to him reproachfully at the remark that didn’t sound like a bluff at all, but he still looked back coldly with an expression of anger. His appearance was scary, but somehow cute, making Muriel laugh helplessly.
“Did Chen make a mistake, Mr. Crawford?”
“No, I didn’t make any mistakes!! Right, Muriel… Ma’am?!”
“He didn’t. Kaiton is just a bit heartbroken.”
“Ah… Heartache.”
If that’s heartache, the earth will be destroyed when he’s angry, Cece answered with such a face.
“But still, it’s fortunate. We just want to earn our keep properly. I want to be helpful, but if we become a hindrance, it’ll be a big problem.”
Cece spoke while observing Muriel’s reaction. It seemed like she was gauging Muriel’s mood, who had firmly stated that they couldn’t stay in the estate. Chen, who had volunteered as an errand boy, did the same, but all the kids in the gang of thieves claimed themselves servants of the territory. Without being asked, they swept and cleaned the castle, carried goods, and tended to the garden. It seemed like a strategy to prove their usefulness and avoid being driven away.
“Cece-“
“No, please, sister! Please don’t kick us out. We have nowhere else to go. The kingdom has abandoned us.”
Cece quickly clung to Muriel and shed tears. How forcefully she moved and hugged her – it made Muriel involuntarily let out a gasp.
“There’s a place to go-“
“No! I don’t want to! I want to stay by your side!! Since you saved me, take proper responsibility for me!! Please don’t abandon me, waa!”
There, there.
Due to Ondal being such a crybaby, Muriel knew well how to calm someone who was hanging on like this. Muriel would not say anything more, and just gently patted Cece’ small back. Despite becoming the leader of the gang of thieves, commanding Rockford and Tucker, the weight hanging around her neck felt infinitely light. She was still just a child.
Haah. A sigh escaped from Muriel’s mouth. No way could she send away the little bandits who said they’ve been abandoned. The family had grown again.
“I was trying to ask if you were okay. I couldn’t properly check in the forest since I went to find Kaiton.”
“Ah, then you’re not going to kick me out, are you? You won’t tell me to leave?”
“I’m glad you came. This is your home now.”
***
The greeting between Muriel and the new members of the Ghost Estate was brief. It was because Kaiton, who heard Muriel’s stomach growling, urged her. Muriel, who had something to say to him, followed him without a word. It was embarrassing how indifferent she was to these things.
“So, Ceyton… I might be asking a bit late, but… how did you deal with the demon? Wasn’t it dangerous? Because of me… you were put in danger, right?”
“What does that mean?”
Kaiton, who had been staring discontentedly at the bowl of simple soup in front of Muriel, tilted his head to the left and asked. Seeing that he’d dragged Muriel to the table without touching his own food, he didn’t seem to have much appetite.
“In the forest, you were in danger fighting Kasal’s demon, but I used the power of the shard. You must have been flustered when you suddenly couldn’t use magic because of me, right?”
“Hmm… Come to think of it, you… cried.”
Kaiton briefly narrowed his eyes as if recalling that moment, then smiled cheerfully. His face appeared nonchalant, as if he hadn’t been in danger of dying. Was everything really okay? Muriel was momentarily puzzled, but as she recalled the anxiety and fear from that time, her face naturally stiffened.
“…I was scared Kaiton was in danger…”
“You looked silly.”
Kaiton reached out with the hand that he wasn’t resting his face on and gently brushed Muriel’s hardened eyebrows. Muriel wasn’t crying, yet his hand grazed her eyelashes as if wiping away tears. At that moment, Muriel really felt like she was about to cry. However, because she wanted to apologize properly, she tightly bit her lips and held back.
“You’re not angry? Because of me… th-that… Kaiton… I mean, you almost died because of me…”
“Nothing happened, so there’s no reason to be angry.”
“….”
“…You can be relieved. For I won’t ever give up my life for you.”
“Oh… I see. I’m glad to hear that.”
“You… what?”
When Muriel smiled brightly, Kaiton, who was about to say something, paused and stopped speaking. His fingers, which had been moving lightly as if playing a spring melody on her chin, also froze. However, Muriel brushed her heart with a genuine breath of relief.
“Yes, then I’ll feel relieved. Please do so.”
“….”
While Kaiton had an expression like he’d just chewed on a bitter herb, Muriel replied like that and finally picked up her spoon. The soup tasted like boiled paper as usual, but even that stimulated her appetite, so she must’ve been really hungry. As Kaiton watched Muriel eat the soup with pleasure, unlike her usual self, he raised his eyebrows and spoke in a sarcastic voice.
“Oh, and you have one great illusion, Mure. Just because you use the power of the fragment doesn’t mean I’m in trouble. I’m not affected at all. If your pacio leaves you in two ways, and things get difficult, it’ll be hard on you, not me. I’m not involved.”
“What? But back then… you almost fell. The day the monster moat collapsed.”
“You’re mistaken. I’ve never been in danger because of you, not even once.”
“Then why did it happen then…?”
“Well, I guess I lost focus.”
Kaiton shrugged his shoulders as if he didn’t remember, nonchalantly dismissing the matter. But it didn’t make sense. He claimed that he made a mistake in magic because his concentration was lacking? Muriel couldn’t believe it and was about to argue, but she remembered the time she’d almost fallen to the ground while flying in his arms. Almost falling twice… Could it be that geniuses were too arrogant and made mistakes because of it?
“I see… I got it wrong again. Like a fool…”
Muriel’s face visibly darkened. Although she tried to feign that she was fine by curling up the corners of her mouth, she couldn’t hide the self blame in her eyes. Kaiton sighed lightly as he observed her.
“…It’s largely my fault for letting you get confused. Next time, I’ll explain it more clearly…”
Muriel understood perfectly that it wasn’t her fault, but still. Seeing that Kaiton also knew how to console someone, her mood improved slightly.
“So next time, don’t hesitate and choose yourself. It doesn’t make sense to not protect you for fear that I will be in danger.”
“Ah…”
Since Muriel didn’t reply, a chilling coldness passed through Kaiton’s previously gentle black eyes. It was because he read the guilt on her face.
“Ah… Was it not that? Come to think of it, I think Cece said you saved her life.”
Kaiton said it as if it was nothing. His tone was light, as if it was only natural, but Muriel could tell. She knew that the only time he stretched out his words and his voice trembled like that was when his heart felt firmly twisted.
Her skin felt cold from tension. Her heart ached with apologies and guilt. She even felt worse since he’d clumsily but clearly tried to comfort her. As she pondered how to explain, Kaiton interrupted her with an even more secretive tone. His tone was still dripping with honey, but she could sense an underlying hostility, like approaching a venomous creature with an open jaw while being enchanted by the sweetness of the honey.
“So, you thought I would be in danger, but you chose to save the bandits you encountered for the first time, not me?”
“I’m sorry.”
“No need to be sorry. Next time, you will choose me. Because I’m the one you like.”
“…”
“Right?”
“…”
“Answer me, Muriel. Next time, no matter who is on the scale, you will choose me.”
“I’m sorry, Kaiton.”
I like how despite being clearly in love, they have their problems, how they’re not perfect people, and are still growing and navigating their relationship with each other.
